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"Ian, where's Beth?" Daniel started pushing through the crowd without waiting for a response. There was a knot of people in the far corner, near the stairs, and Daniel caught a glimpse of Murphy there. Then, just as he excused himself for having shoved by an older lady, he saw Beth, smiling and talking to three gentlemen.
Daniel stopped, sighing with relief. He caught Ian's attention and nodded in Beth's direction, then turned to find Stefan again.
"He's got to be planning something," Ian said as he came closer. "I don't believe for a minute he's stepping down this quietly."
"He can't do anything in public."
Both men turned as Beth approached, smiling and nodding at a passing woman who offered her congratulations and lifelong fealty.
"Meanwhile, I have to meet with the Royal Court." She put a hand on Daniel's arm. "Tell me, do you really think the moon-story was romantic?"
Daniel blinked. "What?" he snorted. "You're picking right now to ask that?"
Beth gave a shrug. "I like throwing you off balance. You always recover quite well." She nodded at another passerby, then looked at Ian. "Keep an eye on Stefan, would you? Make sure he stays in the castle until we can have him escorted to the cloister."
"Just a minute," Ian grabbed her arm. "Let one of us come with you."
"No, I'll be fine," Beth patted Ian's hand then turned to Daniel. "My brother is right over there, we're in the center of the castle, and there are far too many witnesses. Whatever Stefan is planning, it won't happen here, not right now."
"Where's that Wilcox guy?" Daniel searched the crowd. He'd seen the skinny man earlier, standing at the edge of the group.
"There," Ian pointed to the wall to their left.
Daniel turned in time to see Wilcox striding away from the wall, moving closer to the buffet table where he waved a hand to gain someone's attention. "Okay, fine. We'll keep an eye on both of them, but you don't go far."
Beth laughed lightly. "I promise. Just into the next room, to talk with the Court. I'll be no more than an hour."
Reluctantly, and only because he'd located both Stefan and Wilcox, Daniel nodded. He watched her go, moving through the crowd as best as she could, stopping to shake hands and accept pledges of faithfulness.
"I'm going to get closer to Wilcox," he said to Ian. "Keep Stefan in sight."
"Which one of them has the key?"
Daniel shook his head. "Good question." He looked at Wilcox, then saw Beth reach the door beyond the gathering and take one look around before stepping through to meet with the Royal Court.
He moved around the room so he could approach Wilcox from behind, staying several yards away so as not to draw undue notice, but close enough to make sure he didn't reach a door and vanish back to Otherworld. Daniel didn't think the man would leave without his newly disposed King, but who knew what they had on the side. As a loyal member of what had just become an illegal rule, Daniel didn't know what fate Wilcox faced, or how desperate he might be to avoid it.
As he drew closer to the wall, he saw the door Beth had passed through.
The same spot where Wilcox had been standing moments before.
A sudden chill shook Daniel to the bone. He moved to the door and reached out, but two guards stopped his approach.
"I'm sorry, sir, the Queen is in council."
Dammit! Daniel turned and pushed his way through to Ian, catching Murphy's eye as he did. "We may have a problem," he said as the two turned to him. "Beth said that her brother used Murphy's key to open a door and push her through to Otherworld, right?"
Murphy nodded. "Regretfully, yes. Had I known that--"
Daniel waved his sentence away. "Listen, Wilcox was just over there, at that door." He pointed. "The door Beth walked through."
Ian looked up, then turned to locate Stefan again. "Shit!"
Daniel followed his gaze. Wilcox was handing something to his former King, who had already started to move toward the far wall and a small door there.
The crowd suddenly swelled and moved as one, blocking their path. At first, Daniel was convinced it had been choreographed, and he reached for his gun, then he saw the caterers had entered with heaping plates of steaming hot food to add to the celebration.
Murphy peeled off in the opposite direction, barking orders as he went.
Moments later, he called back over several heads. "She's gone!"
Ian drew his gun and the crowd parted instantly, just in time for the two men to watch Stefan step through a door, closing it behind him. He pulled open the door and stepped into a closet, filled with all manner of furs and leather trench coats.
Daniel grabbed Wilcox by the shirt collar. "Where is she?!"
Ian turned and pressed his gun against the man's temple, the arrow's tip piercing the skin just enough to draw a bead of red.
"Waiting for you!" He replied, stammering slightly as he struggled to maintain some composure. "They're on your ship, Foster. His Highness merely wants to speak with you, somewhere quiet, to discuss his future."
"You sent Beth through with the key, how?" Daniel tugged on the shirt in his fists. "Where did you send her?"
"I didn't send her anywhere." Wilcox spat a little as he spoke. "She's perfectly safe. Stefan has the key."
"Beth isn't with the Royal Court," Murphy said as he approached. "This weasel sent her somewhere by using the key and leaving the door ajar. She walked through completely unaware." He stepped closer to Wilcox and Daniel released the man's shirt. "Then, I presume, Stefan followed using the key himself, and met her somewhere."
"Like I said," Wilcox replied. "They're on Foster's ship. He just wants a quiet talk, to negotiate his future. I was told to have you meet him there. He's alone, with his sister, no guards."
"No witnesses, you mean," Daniel retorted. He pulled the key from his pocket and shoved Wilcox aside. "Murphy, stay here. This is most definitely a trap."
"I agree, but that's no reason to keep me here," he argued.
"If none of us come back, the Royal Court would nominate you to rule," Ian explained as he holstered his weapon. "You were a King's Advisor and you're the current Sheriff."
Murphy sighed but relented with a curt nod. "Very well, just be careful."
Daniel pulled the closet door shut, used the key, and stepped into his uncle's kitchen, Ian right behind him.
"We didn't bring a lot of weapons," Ian said, checking his. "If he's on my ship, there's plenty of guns in the hold. And he could have an entire regimen of guards already there, waiting for him."
"No," Daniel shook his head and tried to catch his breath. His Air Force training had been brief in the military aspect, but what few lessons there'd been, there was a reason they were drilled in. A resolved calm washed over his frantic thoughts, giving his instincts the confidence they needed.
"When we walked into that room with Beth, you could see genuine shock on his face," he explained. "Whatever Wilcox heard when he was spying on us obviously didn't prepare Stefan for seeing his sister walk into the conference room and stake her claims." He pulled his own gun from its holster and checked the magazine. "He clearly never expected Beth would find a way back to Ether, not after all these years. And her bluff about killing their father has to have been spot on."
"How did she know bluff like that?"
"Good old American television shows, I'd bet."
"What?"
Daniel shook his head. "Never mind. We agree that he's taken her to the Myst to kill her, right?"
"And us," Ian agreed. "Or at least me. He has no idea who you are."
"Which is why you're going first." Daniel holstered his gun. "Stefan's going to expect you to go to the Myst to rescue Beth. That's why he had Wilcox tell us they were there. If you go through first, you'll trigger any traps he has set up."
Ian raised one eyebrow. "That's when you step through and surprise him, before he can kill me?"
"Well, yeah, that's the theory, anyway." He smiled apologetically. "It's either that, or we both go barreling through the door and see what happens."
"I think your first idea is our best shot," Ian huffed. "We could all still be killed regardless."
"Yeah, there's that." Daniel took a deep breath and pulled the bathroom door shut. "Okay, so we do this?"
Ian released the safety from his gun. "We do this. Give me a count of twenty before you follow, and send me out on the upper deck. If there's more than just Stefan waiting, I'll need room to maneuver."
Daniel nodded. "Okay, twenty it is."
He put the key in the door, closed his eyes and pictured stepping through the main hatch to the upper deck of the Myst. After turning the knob, he pushed the door just an inch and stepped aside.
"Here goes everything." Ian stepped through the door, and pushed it shut behind him.
Daniel started counting. It was a stupid plan, but it was all they had in the short time they could take to consider it. Stefan could easily have sent Beth through to Nigeria, or the middle of the Sahara desert or Pacific ocean, for that matter.
He pictured the Myst, but not the main hatch to the upper deck. If Stefan saw only Ian come through, he might just believe Daniel wasn't coming at all. There was a better chance of getting the drop on any ambush if he could come up from behind.
He turned the key, pushed the door open carefully, and stepped through into the main cabin, moving as quietly as he could.
With the key in his pocket and his gun in his hand, Daniel moved toward the hatch, stepped through into the main corridor, and listened.
Nothing.
He eased himself closer to the hatch and positioned himself behind the half-open door, listening carefully. He'd expected voices, either Stefan making one of those dramatically inspired speeches the villain makes prior to killing his foe, or whispers of relief and gratitude. Or a struggle at the very least.
What he heard were drums, distant and rhythmic.
And chanting.
Before Daniel could decide his best move, he saw Stefan backing toward the door, one hand stretched out behind him in search of the handle. He wasn't speaking to anyone, but had his back to the corridor, his attention focused on something toward the stern of the Myst.
Daniel holstered his gun, then grabbed the outstretched hand and tugged. With the element of surprise on his side, he slammed Stefan's wrist into the door jam, forcing his hand open.
The small brass key flew out of the former king's hand and skittered across the decking.
A weapon in Stefan's other hand came at Daniel's head, but he ducked out of the way and delivered a swift kick to the man's gut, doubling him over. A solid shove and he sprawled on the deck with a loud grunt.
Ian was at his side in an instant, gun aimed at Stefan's head.
Daniel looked up and saw Beth standing a few yards away, but the look on her face wasn't one of relief, or even victory. She was pale, nearly white, and looking at him with eyes open wide with fear.
That's when Daniel saw the flames, eating away at the balloon above and working their way down the rope rigging with ravenous hunger. He glanced over the port side and saw the black fog creeping up, over the railing.
They were sinking. Sinking into the black fog that Stefan had hoped to escape using his key while his sister and Ian met their fate below.
He looked at Ian, who was inching closer to Stefan, afraid to speak as more arrows flew through the air and found purchase in various spots along the flaming balloon.
"Beth, hurry up!" Ian shouted as he kept his focus on Stefan. "Daniel, your key! We have to get out of here."
"You can't leave me!" Stefan scrambled to his feet.
"That was your intention," Ian retorted. "You moved my ship here, and planned to sink it while you return to your throne." He turned away from Stefan and ran to the helm, then threw the gear into full forward.
The Myst lurched, surging through the encroaching fog at full speed.
Stefan backed up, pointing at the arrows flying through the fog, now from the direction of the stern. "If you don't get us out of here, we'll all die!"
Beth wasn't moving. Daniel could see fear had her frozen in place as the black fog crested the railing of the Myst and began spreading over the deck. He ran to her, grabbing her arm.
"Come on! We'll be fine, just get to the door!"
"I can't move," she whispered.
Daniel took her by the arm and pulled her forward. More arrows shot upward, slamming into the cabin door.
"Oh God," Daniel breathed.
The door was on fire.
Ian rushed forward and kicked the door in, then turned to Beth. "Hurry up! We'll use another door!"
Daniel pushed her toward the cabin and glanced around. Stefan had disappeared in the growing darkness. He tried to remember where the key had fallen, but there was no time to worry about it. Ian was standing in the burning doorway, which would lead to the only source of doors, and Stefan hadn't passed him.
He shoved a hand into his pocket and gripped the key as he ran through the flames eating away at the door. Fog had already filled the corridor, so black and thick even the light from the crystal sconces couldn't penetrate it.
The sensation of falling had grown more dramatic, and fog completely covered the burning rigging and balloon.
"Where's Stefan?" Daniel could barely see Ian, who was right behind him as they hurried down the corridor toward the main cabin door.
"It doesn't matter, just get us out of here." Ian replied. "We're going to hit bottom soon, and I don't much care to find out what's down here."
Beth reached the end of the corridor and turned back toward them. "Hurry!"
Daniel could barely make her out, just a few yards ahead of him. The fog was black, and thicker than any smoke he'd ever seen, but oddly enough he was able to breathe it in without notice. There was no sensation of moisture as in a thick mist, or acrid taste of burning you'd get with a thick, heavy smoke.
The arrows had stopped slamming into the ship, but they could hear the fire from the balloon as it quickly lost all buoyancy.
Daniel pulled the key from his pocket. He had to feel for the door, then the handle as the fog sent the corridor into complete darkness.
Somewhere in the distance, still out on the deck, they heard Stefan shouting.
"Wait!"
Ian stepped closer. "Hurry!"
Daniel found the keyhole and took hold of the knob with his other hand. He closed his eyes and pictured his uncle's kitchen.
Beth grabbed his arm.
He inserted the key and heard a loud snap, then a scream as the world turned sideways, pitching the three of them to the left and through a cabin door.
Daniel hit the floor hard and all the air from his lungs rushed out. His head hit something solid, just before Beth landed on top of his chest.
He heard nothing, and briefly wondered if he'd lost consciousness. The room was pitch black, and even the sound of the burning balloon was gone. There were no screams like they'd heard when the other ship went down. No chanting or shouts of victory. Just dead silence.
Daniel blinked, then realized he could see Beth on top of him. The fog was less solid now, bathing everything in more of a grey, dim light. He turned his head and saw Ian on the floor beside him, blinking and feeling the back of his head.
Beth stirred, then put a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with the realization of where they were. She moved off of Daniel and sat up.
Ian pushed himself to his elbows and looked up, then swore very quietly.
Daniel blinked and looked up as well, at the door they'd fallen through. The Myst was on its side, having hit the ground hard, and deposited them on what had been the wall of one of the cabins. The door they'd fallen through hung limply off one hinge, half of it shattered into splinters.
"Shit," Daniel hissed.
Ian eased himself to his feet, then reached out a hand and helped Daniel up. "We need another door," he whispered, then pointed upward. "That one's still in one piece."
Daniel looked up, through their broken doorway, to the cabin on the opposite side of the corridor, now twenty feet above their heads. "How?" he asked, keeping his voice a harsh whisper.
"Where's the key?" Beth asked, her voice shaking.
Daniel looked at his empty hands. "I must have dropped it when I fell." He looked around his feet, barely able to see them in the darkness. "It's got to be here somewhere."
They started searching, feeling around the wall that was now their floor. Daniel could hear his heart pounding in his chest, and the movement of their feet and hands as they searched the cabin, but nothing else. The flames eating away the balloon must have burned themselves out, and the Myst wasn't engulfed in fire.
But there were no other sounds. No approaching footsteps from whatever had fired those arrows, no chanting or drums.
"Where are they?" Beth whispered. "Why haven't they come?"
"The Myst got some distance before we hit," Ian replied. "They're probably less than a mile away."
Daniel's fingers touched something metal and he grabbed it, feeling the familiar shape. "I've got it," he replied, straightening. "I found the key."
"All right," Ian pointed upward. "Beth, you first. We'll lift you onto the wall of the corridor, then we can get through that door into the cabin, pull the door shut and go through."
Daniel hurried over, shoving the key into the safety of his pocket. He stood next to Beth while Ian knelt down, holding his hands together for her to step onto. As he lifted her up, she grabbed the entryway and pulled. Daniel took her feet from there and gave her a shove, pushing her up and over onto the lip of the hallway's wall.
"You next," Ian ordered in a hushed voice. "Hurry."
Daniel used Ian's hands for a quick boost, then easily pulled himself up and over the lip of the doorway, onto the wall. He turned and reached down to take Ian's hand, helping him up and out of the cabin.
They stood, and Ian reached up to open the door on what was now the ceiling above them. It swung out, but remained on both hinges, undamaged.
"Wait, why can't you just use the key and we can climb up and out of here?" Beth asked.
"It swings out, which is now down," Ian replied quickly. "We'd never get it shut behind us in time."
Daniel knelt down to offer his hands as Beth's step, then froze in place when he heard scraping. He looked up, toward the deck and the burned out doorway as a shape, tall and dark, moved toward them.
It was shaped like a man, in that it walked on two legs and appeared to have two arms, but that was where any similarity ended. As the creature drew closer, Daniel wished he couldn't see through the dark fog anymore.
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